Lan Kwai Fong
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| Lan Kwai Fong | |||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 蘭桂坊 | ||||||||||||
| Cantonese Jyutping | laan4 gwai3 fong1 | ||||||||||||
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Lan Kwai Fong is a small square of streets in Central, Hong Kong. The area was dedicated to hawkers before the Second World War, but underwent a renaissance in the mid 1980s. It is now a popular expatriate haunt in Hong Kong for drinking, clubbing and dining. The street Lan Kwai Fong is an L-shape with two ends joining with D'Aguilar Street.
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[edit] History
Before the Second World War, Lan Kwai Fong was previously dedicated to hawkers.
In early days, the square housed many mui yan (媒人, lit. medium person), or marriage arrangers, a role exclusively held by females. Mui yan was a marriage medium between two families in the olden days. It was thus known as Mui Yan Hong (媒人巷, lit. medium person lane) or Hung Leung Hong (紅娘巷).
In 1975, German-Canadian businessman Allan Zeman, also known as the father of Lan Kwai Fong,[1] moved to Hong Kong. He felt it needed a western style restaurant, so he opened “California” in 1983 in Lan Kwai Fong which became his claim to fame. One year later, following this success, Zeman invested HK$32 million to buy a whole block and began a new career as an entertainer and property developer eventually founding the Lan Kwai Group and developing this location into one of Hong Kong’s most popular entertainment destinations for expatriates as well as tourists. Friday and Saturday nights are often jammed with people, leading to vehicle traffic being suspended at certain times, giving the streets over to pedestrians. The square, together with a gay club "Disco Disco" founded earlier in 1978 in D'Aguilar Street, made Lan Kwai Fong and its surroundings a famous spot for night life.[citation needed]
From 2011, a massive change was underway, following Zeman's decision to replace his block in Lan Kwai Fong. This led to a substantial area of Lan Kwai Fong becoming a construction site, surely helping boost business in the booming bars just above, along Wyndham Street.
[edit] Location
Lan Kwai Fong as an area is defined by D'Aguilar Street and the smaller lane, Lan Kwai Fong, an L-shaped, cobble-stoned lane. Both streets turn 90 degrees to form a rectangle. From the west side of the rectangle, Wo On Lane and Wing Wah Lane extend to host several more spots for drinks and food. The area arguably extends to Wellington Street and Wyndham Street, through to the Hong Kong Fringe Club. It is also home to a small number of art galleries.
[edit] Special occasions
The crowds during special occasions such as Halloween or New Year's Eve put the place at a literal standstill with the large numbers. Police control is guaranteed, to manage the crowds. [2]
[edit] Stampede
On 1 January 1993, 21 people were killed and 48 injured in a large-scale human stampede whilst celebrating the New Year's Day in Lan Kwai Fong.[3] The location's narrow streets and a sloped gradient, poor police planning and bad weather all contributed to this disaster.
More than 15,000 people were crammed into the area for the New Year countdown at the time.[4] The Hong Kong government appointed then-Court of First Instance judge Kemal Bokhary to conduct an inquest into the disaster.[5] The stringent crowd control measures now in force at major holiday events are a direct consequence of the inquest's recommendations.
[edit] Transport
There are several ways to access Lan Kwai Fong other than taxi, which include:
- MTR, Central Station, Exit "D2"
- Airport Express, Hong Kong Station, Exit "B2"
- Public bus, route no. 12m, 13, 23A and 40M
[edit] See also
- Soho, Hong Kong
- Central and Western district
- Wan Chai district
- Mid-levels
- List of buildings, sites and areas in Hong Kong
- List of streets and roads in Hong Kong
[edit] References
- ^ 盛智文 蘭桂坊之父
- ^ 蘭桂坊：廿四味與啤酒共存
- ^ 蘭桂坊：廿四味與啤酒共存
- ^ King of the hill looks to Hollywood's heights SCMP, 27 Mar 2006
- ^ "包致金女兒曾涉高買", Oriental Daily News, 2010-01-28, http://www2.news.sina.com.hk/cgi-bin/nw/show.cgi/2/1/1/1410422/1.html, retrieved 2010-01-30
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lan Kwai Fong |
- Official website of Lan Kwai Fong Association
- Official website of Lan Kwai Fong Entertainments
- I Love LKF - Your Guide to everything at LKF
Coordinates: 22°16′51.5″N 114°9′19.9″E / 22.280972°N 114.155528°E
